Sabotaged
by Lauren779
Summary: Trilogy to Gemini & Orion. Better Summary inside. Rated M for language. Beckett's new partner at the 12th is giving her more trouble then she bargained for, and it is up to her and Castle to figure things out when he starts to mess with Beckett's head.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note:** This story is a trilogy to Gemini and Orion. I have used plot points and characters that will overlap in this story, so if you have not read Gemini or Orion, you may be confused as to who Detectives McKenna, Johnson, and Caliver are. If you do not want to read, those three are basically antagonist characters who can be classified as jerks.

A big **thank you** goes out to my beta reader, **Tanya Reed**. I appreciate you looking over my story and giving me your feedback. Thank you.

I hope whomever reads this enjoys.

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><p><strong>SYNOPSIS<strong>**:** Detective Jason Caliver was the number one homicide detective in Detroit, closing murder cases at a very fast rate, and putting people behind bars. He was transferred to work the 12th Precinct in New York City, where his cousin, Detective McKenna, also works, while Beckett was missing. When Detective Beckett returns, the Police Commissioner asks Caliver to stay in New York and become Beckett's partner, despite her and Castle's protest. It becomes evident that Beckett and Caliver do not mesh well working together.

Detective Caliver soon realizes that if he wants to be the number one homicide Detective in New York, he is going to have to take out his greatest competition, who doesn't believe that murder cases should fit in a box. He decides to take matters into his own hands, and begins to mess with Beckett's head, leading her to lose her badge.

With the help of Castle, Beckett begins to look into Caliver's life, leading the two of them to go on a road trip that put them both in a precarious position.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE<strong>

BECKETT pushed her back against the cornered wall, holding her gun close to her chest. The room was mostly dark and every so often, there would be flashes of light, allowing her to see who was coming and what lay ahead of her.

She kept herself perfectly still, and if her police training had taught her anything, it was the she had the perfect advantage spot. She could see out, but others could not see in.

She took a breath upon hearing two sets of distinct footsteps making their way towards her, and she put her finger on the trigger. When she no longer heard the footsteps coming, she jumped out of her hiding spot and quickly fired twice at her enemies. Their vests turned red in defeat.

"_Game Over," _An automated female voice said, as the lights in the lazer tag arena came back on. Beckett smiled triumphantly, realizing it was Caliver and McKenna that she had hit.

"Nice shot, Beckett," Esposito said, making his way down from another section of the arena, followed by a disgruntled Johnson.

"I can't believe we got taken out by a woman," McKenna said distastefully as he removed his vest and handed it to one of the employees on his way out.

"We could still win," Caliver reassured him, once the two teams of four had made their way into the lobby as they awaited the final tally count.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Castle said confidently. "I am, after all, an avid player."

Ryan nodded his head in agreement. "Castle's good."

The automated voice came back on over the inter-com. "_The winner with the most kill-count is Team Heat."_

"Yes!" Castle said excitedly as he gave his team mates a high hive all around. He looked over at his competition, Team Doom, which consisted of McKenna, Johnson, Caliver and a rookie cop that was placed on their team to even out the players. By the looks of it, the three detectives were giving the younger rookie a hard time for losing the game.

Beckett turned to Castle and said, "This was a good idea, Castle. Holding the police fundraiser here, I mean. Usually it's just a bunch of us gathering around a barbecue. Nothing this...fun."

Castle smiled at Beckett, then said, "I thought you might like it. And besides, since this is my first police fundraiser, I thought I'd make a suggestion and see if people would like to do it my way." He then got Ryan and Esposito's attention. "How about some beer and pizza to celebrate? "

"They serve beer here?" Ryan asked, a little skeptical.

"Well it _is_ Adult Lazer Tag," Castle reminded. "And the food isn't bad at all."

Beckett just smiled and shook her head as she followed the three men in her life toward the dining area where all the other officers were now sitting. At first, when Castle suggested they hold the fundraiser here, she thought the idea was a little childish, but almost everyone in the Precinct had thought it was a brilliant idea - even Captain Montgomery was excited for it. In fact, there were more officers here than there had been at any of the other fundraisers. Castle was even generous enough to pay for everyone's food and drinks. Even though she thought she looked ridiculous in the blue coloured vest she put on, she had been surprised by how much she had gotten into the game...and how good she was at it.

"I must say, Castle sure knows how to throw a party," Esposito said as he and Beckett sat down at one of the tables that was slightly secluded from the rest, while Castle and Ryan went to get the food and drinks. "I overheard one of the officers say that we raised more then our targeted goal."

"That's Castle for you," Beckett said with a hint of admiration in her voice for all that he had done, not just for the Precinct, but for her as well.

Castle and Ryan made their way back to the table. Castle was holding a pizza box, and Ryan was holding four bottles of Rickard's White, which he placed on the table.

"I don't think your 'partner' is going to be happy with you," Castle said to Beckett, after he swallowed a bite of his pizza. "You did kind of go after him the whole game."

Beckett took a sip of her beer and just shrugged. "I was hoping he wouldn't notice."

The four of them simultaneously turned their heads to look over at the table where McKenna, Johnson, and Caliver were sitting. The three of them still didn't look happy about their loss, and they were probably trash-talking Team Heat. Having them become sore losers was ironic for Castle, considering the three male detectives were boasting how great they were at lazer tag before the game had started.

"Castle," Captain Montgomery's voice rang, causing the four of them to turn their attention away from 'Team Doom' and towards Montgomery. "Excellent turn out. Everyone is having a great time. Thank you."

"It was my pleasure, Captain. And what better way to pay all of you back for putting up with me these past two years than to show you my gratitude in a way that helps the NYPD?"

Beckett joked, "It's going to take a lot more than lazer tag, beer, and pizza to pay us back."

Castle only turned to her, with a smile matching her own.

"Well, I just wanted to say thank you on behalf of the NYPD. The Police Commissioner is really happy."

"It was my pleasure, Captain," Castle said.

"I'll see you all tomorrow," Montgomery said before turning to leave.

Once Montgomery left to join the other police Captains from different Precincts, the four of them raised their beer bottles and toasted to a successful and fun night, all in thanks to Castle.

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><p>THE call had come in just after seven in the morning, giving Beckett barely an hour to get ready and be at the crime scene for eight. She cursed at herself for staying later then she wanted to at the lazer tag arena, but the four of them, with plenty of beer to go around, had gotten so engrossed with swapping funny stories. Between Esposito's time in the army, Ryan's days as a rookie, even her own experience as a rookie, and especially Castle's stories ranging from all times of his life, that they had plenty of stories to share with each other to the point where they were actually asked to leave (politely) by the Management. Now she was coffee-less and basically running on empty to a crime scene in the Upper East side of Manhattan.<p>

"You're late, Detective," Caliver said once Beckett crossed the yellow tape that made the beautiful Brownstone home stand out from the rest on the block. There was already a group of civilians gathered behind the tape, gawking, before they had to make their way to work.

Beckett ignored Caliver and made her way into the house. She smiled at Esposito and Ryan, while envying the coffee they held in their hands.

"Beckett," Castle said, from the other side of the room. He held out a cup of coffee for her, and she took it gratefully. After she had a couple of gulps, she turned toward Esposito and Ryan, who were making their way towards them, and asked, "What do we got?"

"Three victims," Ryan began. "Two females, one male. Ranging in age from late twenties to early 30s." Ryan pointed over to the living room, where CSU was busy collecting evidence.

The four of them made their way into the living room where Beckett was able to get a good look at the bodies. She noticed the male had defensive marks on his arms, and that there was an awful lot of blood for a single gun shot wound.

Lanie looked up from the female body she was examining to call Beckett over.

"Cause of death?"

"All three of them were shot to death," Lanie said, and then looked down at the body she was examining. "This one was a through and through." She pointed to the two other victims. "Those two had their bullets carved out of them."

"That took a lot of work. Whoever did this really doesn't want to get caught," Castle said.

"News flash, writer, no one ever wants to get caught," Caliver said.

"I think what Castle is trying to say is that not a lot of people would go through all that trouble to collect bullets," Beckett added in Castle's defense.

"And it's not just that," Esposito said. "We combed the house and found two bottles of bleach that are empty. Whoever did this did their best to clean up."

"Do we have any ID?"

Ryan nodded. "The two females are sisters. Kristen and Dani Myles, with Kristen being the eldest, and this home belonging to her. The guy's name is Cameron Drew. Don't know his relation to the two sisters."

"Myles? Why do their names sound familiar?" Beckett asked.

"Their socialites," Castle responded. "Their father owns a very successful, and very pricey, private jet and chauffeur company, Myles High. I used their service a couple of times."

Beckett nodded her head, and then turned to Lanie again. "Any idea on the time of death?"

"I'd estimate anywhere from 10:00pm to 12:00am last night, judging from the rigor mortis and their liver temps."

"Thanks Lanie," Beckett said before looking at Castle. "I guess we should go notify the family."

"I don't think so," Caliver said. "That's not protocol."

"If you have a problem, you can sit this one out, Caliver," Beckett said.

"I'm your Partner, Katherine. Not him," Caliver reminded.

"Look if this is going to be a problem"- Castle began to say, but was interrupted by Beckett who put her hand up.

"The Police Commissioner may have twisted Captain Montgomery's arm into making you my partner, but the Mayor is the one that has allowed Castle to be here and sit in on our investigations, and the last time I checked, the Mayor has more authority. Castle is coming, whether you like it or not." With that, Beckett brushed past Caliver, Castle following behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks again to **Tanya Reed** for betaing this chapter. Much appreciated. Hope you all enjoy.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO<strong>

"THANKS for having my back in there," Castle said once they both got settled in Beckett's unmarked police car.

"He was out of line," Beckett answered simply as she watched Caliver make his way into his own car. She put her car into drive and edged out onto the street, hoping to make it to the Myles estate before Caliver did.

The ride to the estate was silent, allowing Beckett to prepare herself for what she felt was the worst part of her job. Telling someone a loved one had died was hard; telling them a loved one was murdered was even harder.

Castle glanced over at Beckett, watching as she concentrated on driving. He had been with her long enough to know what she was thinking. He admired how well she hid her own pain, but he knew every time she crossed the yellow tape at a crime scene, or had to deliver the bad news, she thought about her own personal tragedy.

"Damn it!" Beckett suddenly said as she jerked to the right, watching Caliver quickly pass them.

"Did someone just cut you off?" Castle asked once his brain registered what had just happened. He had been so transfixed with Beckett that, if it wasn't for the sudden pull of the car, he would not have known someone had almost cut them off.

"Not someone," Beckett said through gritted teeth. "Caliver." She had recognized his license plate when he quickly weaved in front of her before disappearing into traffic again.

Castle looked over at Beckett, "Is he trying to get us killed?"

"No. He's trying to beat us to the Myles estate."

"Does he think this is a competition?"

Beckett didn't answer Castle as her hands tightened on the steering wheel until her knuckles turned a visible white. She continued to drive for about twenty minutes until she was able to exit the main street and turn into a residential court that consisted of three large lots and magnificent homes.

"Wow," Castle said, admiring the homes.

Beckett pulled her car up next to Caliver's, who was waiting in front of the large, pearly gates of the Myles estate.

"It's about time you got here," Caliver said once Beckett had rolled down her window in the car.

Leaning forward to get a look at Caliver, Castle said, "You cut us off, dude."

Caliver ignored Castle, turning toward the intercom and pressing the white button. Within seconds a staticy voice was heard over the intercom.

"Can I help you?" The male voice asked.

Caliver pulled out his badge and pointed it at the camera. "I'm Detective Jason Caliver of the NYPD, and my partner, Detective Katherine Beckett, along with her..._friend_...are in the other car. We need to speak to Edward and Gloria Myles."

There was a moment of silence, and then the gates started to open slowly, with the man on the other end saying, "Proceed."

* * *

><p>THEY were greeted by a security guard who brought them through the main forum of the home. Beckett marveled at how nicely decorated the mansion was. There were various paintings that looked like they belonged in a museum and not in someone's home, like a sculpture of a barely clothed man holding a vase, in the centre of the room, that had running water pouring out of the vase and into a small fountain.<p>

"And my mother thinks that I have too many unnecessary things," Castle whispered to Beckett as they were led into the living room, which was also extravagantly decorated with a polar bear rug situated in the middle of the floor.

It didn't take long for Gloria and Edward to enter the living room. The first thing Beckett noticed about them was how fancy they were dressed for such a casual day. Edward, who was in his middle to late fifties, and in optimum shape, was dressed in an Armani suit. Gloria, who looked in her early fifties, was dressed in a white Versace dress, and her make up looked as if it had been done professionally.

"I'm sorry," Gloria said as she approached the two police officers. "Who are you again?"

"We are Detectives for the NYPD," Caliver answered and then pointed to Beckett. "Well me and her. The person standing next to my partner is shadowing her for a novel he is writing."

Gloria turned to look at Castle. "Anything I might have read?"

"Derrick Storm and the Nikki Heat series," Castle answered, but he didn't need the blank expression on Gloria's face to know that his books probably weren't her genre.

Gloria looked back at the two detectives and, with disappointment and hint of agitation in her voice, she asked, "What have Adam and Sean done this time?"

"I'm sure we could arrange something," Edward added. "I know they have gotten into minor criminal trouble before but we assure you that we will make sure this incident won't happen again."

Beckett exchanged a confused look with Castle before saying, "Mr. and Mrs. Myles, we are not here because of your sons."

"Oh thank God," Gloria said with relief in her voice, and Beckett began to feel bad about what she had to say next. With a smile on her face, Gloria asked, "Then what can we do for the police?"

"We're actually here about your daughters," Beckett began.

"Our daughters?" Edward asked, exchanging a confused look with his wife.

"It might be easier if you two have a sea"- Beckett began to say, but was interrupted by Caliver.

"They were found murdered in your eldest daughter's home."

Beckett glared at Caliver before turning back to face Gloria and Edward, who both looked completely in shock.

"How is this...possible?" Edward asked while putting his hands on his wife's shoulders.

"The woman who cleaned your daughter's home found them," Beckett answered gingerly.

Gloria shook her head. "Wait? What? At home?"

"That's impossible..." Edward said under his breath.

"Impossible?" Castle asked, hoping to get more information from the grieving father.

"Yes. When you told me they were dead I thought something had happened to them in Maui...not New York."

"They were in Maui?" Beckett asked, remembering that the two girls were tanned, but she figured it was the result of a tanning salon not a tropical vacation.

"They were supposed to come back tomorrow night on one of our private jets," Gloria answered. Her face began to cave slightly, the reality of what had been said finally hitting her.

"We are going to need a list of all of your plane itineraries," Caliver said, to which Edward nodded.

"Is it possible that they could have taken another plane home?" Beckett asked.

Edward laughed slightly. "What? Like West Jet? Our girls knew better. They went to Maui on our plane, and they were going to leave on our plane."

"Edward, you don't have to be so testy. They are just doing their jobs," Gloria said, her voice cracking slightly.

This seemed to calm Edward down a bit. "I know. I know, and I am sorry. It's just...I _knew _it."

"Knew what?" Beckett asked.

"That the guy Kristen was seeing was no good. I warned her he would be trouble."

Castle looked at Edward. "This guy's name happen to be Cameron Drew?"

Edward's eyes widened just a bit. "You know him? You caught him?"

"Unfortunately he was also found dead with your daughters," Beckett answered.

"Then it had to be a murder-suicide," Edward pressed while crossing his arms. "It has to be."

Again, Beckett had to deliver the bad news. "Unfortunately, all three were murdered. There was no suicide."

"Well then it has to be one of his low-life friends," Edward insisted.

"Did Cameron have troubles?" Caliver questioned while taking out his note pad.

"Yes!" Edward said adamantly.

"Not anymore," Gloria countered. She looked at Beckett. "He had a drug problem in his teens and early twenties. Kristen volunteered at a rehab center where he was volunteering once he kicked the habit as a sort of pay it forward type thing. It was love at first sight."

Beckett turned toward Edward. "I take it you didn't like him?"

"Of course I didn't like him. My daughter was too good for him. He was using her, and now she and Dani are dead because of him."

"Don't listen to him, Detective," Gloria said. "Cameron had his troubles in the past. I liked him, and he made Kristen happy. That's all that mattered."

"Did Cameron go to Maui with your daughters?" Castle asked.

"No. He was busy working. He does construction. It was just something Kristen and Dani planned last minute," Gloria answered. She then turned to Edward, and with anguish in her voice she asked him, "Why weren't they in Maui? Why did they come home and not tell us?"

Beckett felt a tinge in her heart, and she closed her eyes for a second, remembering asking those same questions of 'why' to herself when her mother was found dead in an alley.

"We are sorry for your loss," Beckett said once she reopened her eyes. "And I promise you we will do everything we can to find whoever did this."

Gloria nodded her head in appreciation as tears streamed down her face.

"I'll get the itinerary," Edward said numbly, and made his way toward his office.

* * *

><p>ONCE the three of them were back outside and making their way toward their cars, Beckett turned to Caliver. "What the hell was that?"<p>

"What the hell was what?" Caliver asked.

"That's not how you tell someone their children have been murdered," Beckett answered with a hint of anger in her voice.

"That's how I tell them, Katherine. No point in sugar coating it. It won't bring them back to life."

"But was that really necessary?" Castle interjected. "I mean, they are clearly distraught."

"This isn't one of your books, Rick. I'm not here to please people. I'm here to solve a case."

"And cases can still be solved while treating human beings with respect," Beckett added. "There was a better, more compassionate way, to tell them the news."

Caliver stopped walking once he was a step away from his car. "No offense, Detective, but back in Detroit, my rate for closing homicides surpassed yours. I want to make a name for myself here and, sooner or later, everyone at the 12th is going to realize what everyone in Detroit already knows." He took a breath to look at Castle. "I don't need a writer to help solve murder cases. In fact"- he let out a quick laugh - "when I close this case, and others, in record time, you might even base your next book on me."

Castle clenched his fists and watched as Caliver went inside his car. He had known from the moment Caliver stepped into the 12th Precinct to replace Beckett that he didn't like him.

"Come on, Castle," Beckett said as she headed toward her car. "He's not worth it."


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks again to my Beta for reviewing this chapter.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE<strong>

ESPOSITO had just hung up the phone when Beckett, Castle, and Caliver arrived back at the 12th Precinct's bullpen.

"Please tell me you got something," Beckett asked as she stopped in front of Esposito and Ryan's shared desk. She was hoping the itinerary would show that the two sisters had called for an earlier departure back home to New York.

"Itinerary is clean," Esposito responded. "Nothing on the docket suggests any employee had taken a plane out." He noticed a frustrated frown form on Beckett's lips. "But, just in case one of the employees doctored the reports, I had Ryan go over to the Myles private airport to check out the security footage."

"Huh. Whaddaya know? Looks like Javier and Kevin aren't so useless after all," Caliver said before heading to the back of the bullpen to join his cousin, and McKenna's partner, Johnson.

"Is it just me, or is he really starting to piss anyone else off?" Castle asked when Caliver was out of earshot. It was bad enough he had to bite his tongue and deal with Caliver being Beckett's official partner, but to have him constantly bring down his friends' ability to work drew the line for him.

"Don't worry about it, bro," Esposito said, and then sarcastically added, "What he lacks in charm he makes up for in solving homicide cases."

Beckett tilted her head and half smiled. She wasn't Caliver's number one fan either. In fact, ever since he was instated to be her partner, not a day went by where she wasn't in Captain Montgomery's office with a formal request for a partner change. If it couldn't be just her and Castle again, she would rather be partnered with Detective Karpowski - at least she had a sense of humor and didn't get on her nerves.

Loud group laughter brought Beckett out of her thoughts, and she directed her attention towards the end of the bullpen where McKenna, Johnson, and Caliver were laughing, no doubt at her team's expense. It was bad enough when it was just McKenna and Johnson, but now with Caliver in the mix, it was just obnoxious.

Beckett and her guys were so engrossed in watching what Castle nicknamed 'The Three Stooges that they didn't notice Karpowski come up beside them.

"Need me to tell them to shut the hell up?" Karpowski asked as Beckett looked at her with a smile on her face.

"Are you kidding? This is entertainment," Castle said somewhat sarcastically. "They sound like hyenas."

Karpowski nodded her head in agreement. "Then do you need me to make popcorn?"

"Does anyone have an appetite listening to those three?" Beckett pondered out loud.

"We don't have to eat it," Karpowski said. "We could just, you know, throw it at them."

"I like her idea," Esposito added. "I think we should do it."

"I think we should get back to work," Beckett said noticing the disappointment on their faces. She turned toward Karpowski. "Right Karpowski?"

"Nice talkin' to ya, Beckett," Karpowski said, handing Beckett a memo from Lanie which said the autopsies would be ready by tomorrow at the latest.

Beckett thanked Karpowski, and they both made their way to their respective desks, Castle following Beckett.

"Now what?" Castle asked as he sat down in his chair.

"Now we hope Ryan finds something on the security footage tapes."

* * *

><p>RYAN looked at his watch for what felt like the thousandth time that hour. In what was usually a simple exchange of information was met with many employees giving him the run around, pawning him off on different employees. He had gone to four security terminals before a senior security manager had him sit down and wait while they sorted out the confusion.<p>

He was just about to start a game of Angry Birds that Castle had put on his iPhone, when Malcolm, the senior security manager, came up to him.

"I'm sorry for the confusion, Detective Ryan," Malcolm said with years of being a heavy smoker evident in his voice. "I just got off the phone with Mr. Edward Myles. As you can imagine, this is a hard time for him and his family."

"I understand," Ryan said as he placed his phone into his pocket and began to get up from the chair. "However, the security tapes are crucial to this investigation. The more we know, the easier it will be to find whoever did this.

Malcolm motioned for Ryan to follow him. "Mr. Myles understands that. He just wanted to make sure everything was in order before we handed over the tapes."

Ryan found that a little odd, but he decided to keep his suspicions to himself. If the tapes he was getting were tampered with, he would send them over to CSU for confirmation.

The two of them stopped in front of the very first security Terminal Ryan went to when he entered the private airport. It was also the closest security terminal to the nearest exit, and there was already another guard waiting for them, holding two cassettes in his hand. Ryan didn't need to be a detective to know that he had overstayed his welcome, even if part of his delay in leaving the airport was due to being shuffled off to different employees.

"Here are the tapes you requested, Detective," the younger male security officer said as he handed the tapes to Ryan. Ryan looked over the tapes in front of the two security guards just to make sure the dates on the stamps were correct.

"I assume you have everything you need," Malcolm said, once Ryan had looked back up.

"This will do. But, I can't guarantee this won't be our last visit."

Ryan watched as Malcolm nodded his head in understanding, and then pointed him toward the exit. As he made his way out of the private airport he would never be able to afford to fly out of in his lifetime, he couldn't help but notice the people that entered. Their designer luggage cases alone were probably worth two months rent in a decent apartment, and the outfits the people were wearing made him feel very underdressed.

* * *

><p>CASTLE arrived home just in time for dinner. The rest of the afternoon at the Precinct had been spent watching the tapes Ryan had brought back. There was no suspicious activity, and all the planes that had departed were accounted for. However, Ryan still brought the tape down to the crime lab, if only to ease his curious mind, and the technicians assured him that they would look at the tapes and see if they had been altered. The results would be back in the next afternoon and, since they were still waiting on Lanie's autopsy results, the only thing they could do was look into the backgrounds of the three victims.<p>

Kristen and Dani Myles were not the typical socialites society was used to seeing or reading about. They didn't have their own reality television show, nor were they ever arrested for DUIs, or indecent behaviour. They didn't even have so much as a parking ticket. Unlike their younger brothers, who both had a minor rap sheets and were notorious for hitting up local clubs and driving the fastest, as well as the most expensive, cars (sometimes while even under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs), the two oldest Myles siblings had found more constructive ways of spending their parents' fortune.

Kristen, who was twenty-eight, had a law degree from Harvard. She volunteered at a half way home and a rehabilitation centre for teens and young adults who abused drugs and needed help kicking the habit. She even took some of her parents' money to start a foundation for immigrants who couldn't afford proper legal counsel.

Dani, a year younger and a graduate from Yale's medical school, was a resident at Mount Sinai Hospital. Like her sister, she did volunteer work and was an activist for better mental health and social work services.

Cameron Drew, on the other hand, was thirty years old. His youth was plagued with arrests, from B&Es to minor assault charges and possession of drugs to concealed weapons. He had even spent some time in juvenile detention before being released. Somewhere along that line, he went to a rehabilitation centre for drugs and got himself clean, putting himself on the right track. He applied for a trade, and shortly after he finished schooling, he got a job working for a construction company. He also volunteered at the same place where he got himself clean, and met Kristen, and the two had been living together in her Brownstone home ever since.

Nothing about the victims' backgrounds had screamed trouble now, but tomorrow after the autopsy report, he and Beckett were going to pay a visit to the victims respective employers and volunteer agencies to see if they could get more information.

"Ah, Richard. Just in time," Martha said once she noticed her son enter the kitchen. Like clock work, he made his way to the fridge to pull out a cold Fat Tire beer. Martha noticed he had been doing that a lot lately since Beckett had gotten a new partner. "Tough day at work? That Jason fella bothering you again?"

Castle sighed as he placed his beer on the counter. "Don't get me started on him."

"Started on who?" Alexis asked as she made her way into the kitchen. She walked over to her father and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"It's nothing," Castle reassured. "How was your day?"

"It was good. We had the field trip to the museum today," Alexis answered.

Castle perked up slightly. He had completely forgotten about the field trip. "How was it?"

"Not as fun as when we used to go every Sunday. But once we had the hour of free time to explore the museum ourselves, it wasn't so bad." She paused before she asked, "How was work?"

"Don't get him started on that," Martha answered as she removed the pan from the stove and moved it toward the kitchen table.

"Yeah," Castle agreed while grabbing his beer and heading toward the table. "It's not even that interesting anyway."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

"BESIDE the obvious, what killed these three?" Caliver asked the second he, Beckett, and Castle entered the autopsy room.

Lanie, who had her back faced toward them, turned to look at Caliver. "And good morning to you too."

"Didn't come here to exchange pleasantries," Caliver answered back.

"Of course you didn't," Lanie replied as she made her way over to the victims who were lying on the slabs. She saw Beckett quickly roll her eyes, and she knew her friend was reaching her breaking point with Caliver. Honestly, she couldn't blame her either.

Lanie stopped in front of Cameron's body. "All three victims were shot through the lower portion of the heart. The bullets entered their left side. They were dead within seconds."

A part of Beckett was relieved that the victims did not suffer long, but another part of her wished that this didn't happen to them at all. It made her think of her mother, and how Coonan had killed her. There wasn't much comfort in the fact that her mother had died by a single stab wound, but to know her mom didn't feel the other stab wounds that covered her body, made it slightly easier for her to sleep at night.

"What about these defensive marks?" Beckett asked, removing the thoughts of her mother's murder from her mind. She noticed the marks on Cameron's arms at the crime scene.

"They are not defensive marks," Lanie answered. "At least not from that night."

"Of course they are," Caliver said, as if he knew better. "I've been to a lot of crime scenes and seen a lot of dead people. Those are clearly defensive marks."

Lanie could take a lot of flack. In fact, all through out school she had to push herself to be the best she could be given her circumstances. It made her tough and able to let the little things slide without getting upset over it. However, if someone questioned her ability to do her job, which she was very good at, it ruffled her metaphorical feathers.

As if she didn't see a lot of dead people herself.

"These marks have begun to heal," Lanie answered. She even pointed the scabs out to Caliver. "A dead person can't heal."

Castle, who had a gift for sensing tension, asked, "What about the time of death?"

"Cameron was dead for at least an hour or two before Kristen and Dani. The time frame for the murders is between 10pm and midnight."

"Anything else you can tell us?" Beckett asked.

"Whoever carved the respective bullets out of Cameron and Dani were sloppy. It was messy, like they didn't know what they were doing, just looking for a bullet." Lanie paused, turning toward her tray, and picking up a small evidence container that had a piece of silver fragment in it.

"Is that what I think it is?" Castle wondered.

"I had CSU do a test on it, and they said it is consistent with a standard kitchen knife, which the killer probably used on the bodies. A piece of it must have broken off when it hit bone," Lanie answered.

Beckett took out her cellphone and quickly texted Esposito. If they were lucky, the killer might have used one of Kristen's kitchen knives and put it back. She was hoping that Ryan and Esposito would be able to find that knife.

"So the killer isn't a doctor-most killers aren't," Caliver said, as Beckett closed her phone.

Lanie nodded her head slightly. "While I agree that the killer is not a medical professional, it would be my educated guess that this killer has knowledge on anatomy, especially critical mass areas."

"Like someone who does a lot of target practice," Castle and Beckett said simultaneously, exchanging satisfied looks with each other, while Caliver just shook his head.

Lanie agreed by adding, "They sure knew how to use a gun."

Before leaving to interview Kristen, Dani, and Cameron's colleagues, Beckett thanked Lanie. Now their suspect pool was narrowed down to those who were comfortable with guns and frequented target practice areas.

_

VISITING Kristen and Dani's places of business had turned up nothing. Every one of the sisters respective colleagues, clients, and patients, had all admired the two socialites and their hard work. The colleagues were all deeply disturbed and distraught at what happened to their friends, and they could not think of who would want to harm them. They also had no idea why the sisters would cut their vacation short.

The last place to visit was Cameron's place of work, and as Beckett walked into the Manger's office, followed by Castle and Caliver, she was hoping that his colleagues would be able to provide more information then Kristen and Dani's have.

The manager of the construction company, Tony Marcos, who was average height, and built from his years as a construction worker, had been expecting them. "Detectives," He said, once the three detectives had found places to stand in his small, portable office. "Sorry for the mess and space-budget cuts, ya know?"

Castle was just thankful that the portable was air conditioned, as Tony said, "What can I do for you?"

"We were wondering if you can tell us anything on your employee Cameron Drew," Beckett asked before Caliver had the chance to.

Tony's expression changed to a solemn one, as he shook his head. "Yeah I heard about what happened to him and the Myles sisters. What a damn tragedy." He paused briefly, before adding, "Cameron was a good employee, you know. Never had any problems. No complaints. Always showed up on time. I manage a lot of employees, so I didn't really know him on a personal level."

"Is there anyone you know of that was close to Cameron?" Castle asked, to which Tony nodded.

"Oh yeah. I've only seen Cameron be chummy-like with one person. Billy Trent. He's working right now if you want to talk to him."

Caliver asked, "Where can we find this Billy person?"

"He's in the back. You can't miss him. He's ridiculously tall, African American, the hardest worker I have ever hired, and a stickler for permission - so tell him I allowed the talk. " Tony watched as the three detectives turned toward the door, but he stopped them quickly. "If you are going to go out there" - he started to say while pointing to a set of hard hats in a bin - "you are going to have to put these on."

_

"I'VE always wondered what it would be like to be a construction worker," Castle said as he followed Beckett toward where Billy was slated to be.

"These things are uncomfortable," Caliver complained as he kept trying to adjust it. "It's going to ruin my hair."

Beckett looked back at Caliver. "You're worried about your hair?"

"Aren't you?" Caliver asked.

"I think Beckett looks good in her yellow hard hat," Castle said, and then joked, "I think I'm going to take a picture of you in it after. Have it for my phone's wallpaper."

Beckett looked back at Castle. "That sounds like a good idea." With a sly smile, she added, "Maybe I can find some hunky, shirtless, construction workers to pose with me."

Castle stopped walking in his tracks, allowing Caliver to catch up to him, while Beckett continued to walk ahead.

"She's never going to like you like that, writer-boy. You're just to...plain for her. You should give up now, and spend your time going after a girl who will actually love you back."

Castle bit his tongue, deciding to catch up with Beckett instead of having to deal with Caliver.

By the time Castle had caught up with Beckett, she had already taken out her badge, and was approaching the ridiculous tall worker, whom she presumed was Billy. He had a drill in his hand, and Beckett noticed Billy had some marks on his arms, almost identical to Cameron's marks, and figured those marks were caused by working in construction.

"Billy Trent?" She asked, while showing him his badge.

The man put his drill down, and had a look of confusion on his face. "Yes, that's me."

"NYPD. I'm detective Kate Beckett. This is detective Jason Caliver, and Richard Castle," Beckett said as she pointed to Caliver and Castle.

"What can I do for you?" Billy asked.

"We would like to ask you a couple of questions," Caliver answered.

Billy looked apprehensive. "I'm working...I'll have to speak to my manager."

"We already spoke to him," Beckett assured. "He said you can speak to us."

There was a look of relief on his face. "Okay then. How can I help you?"

"We are here about Cameron Drew." Beckett noticed Billy's face falter. "I understand you were close to him."

Billy nodded his head. "We got hired by the company on the same day, and we just kind of stuck together since then. He was a really nice guy. Hard worker, too. We bonded over common interests. He even invited my girlfriend and I over to the place he shared with his girlfriend, Kristen, for weekend barbecues often, and vice versa."

"Is there anyone you can think of that might have a problem with him?" Castle asked.

"Not here, no. I mean, we didn't socialize much with the other guys, but no one dreaded coming to work if you know what I mean."

Caliver looked at Billy, and then said, "So what you are saying is you don't have any information that can help us with this case?"

"I mean, I don't know who would want to hurt him," Billy added, sounding a little nervous.

Beckett took out her card and handed it to Billy. "If you can think of anything else, can you please give me a call?"

Billy nodded his head as he took the card. He stared at it while the three of them started to head back. "Oh, Detective Beckett," He suddenly said, as if he remembered something, which caused her to turn around. "There was actually something that happened two months ago."

Beckett stopped, and turned back to face Billy. She was now intrigued.

"We had just finished work and were heading to our cars and there was man waiting in front of Cameron's. He must have known him, because Cameron's face went from happy that the day was over, to like, worried."

"Did anything happen?" Beckett asked.

"Not really. I mean, they were both yelling at each other, pretty loudly too, about money or something. Cameron went into his car, took out his wallet, gave the guy some money, and the guy seemed satisfied, and left. I asked Cameron who that was, and what was wrong, but he just said he was an old friend, Carson - that was his name, and that he owed him money from like years ago."

"Is there anything else you can tell us about this Carson person?" Castle asked.

"Well, he was about Cameron's height, and his fists were clenched the whole time." Billy paused. "I think he was a junkie, or an ex-junkie."

Caliver crossed his arms, and then said, "And everything was fine after that?"

"Yeah. I mean, he never came back here. And Cameron never said anything about seeing Carson again so, I assumed that was the last of it," Billy answered. "But I really have to get back to work. With Cameron gone, I don't get as much accomplished as I used to."

Beckett nodded her head in understanding. She was happy that they were able to find something, and now it was her job to find this Carson person, and see if maybe he had an inkling for guns.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

THERE were four males named Carson that had a rap sheet in the system, but only Carson Devault had a spider web tattoo on his neck that Billy Trent had remembered seeing, and then called Beckett to inform her about the tattoo.

"Any luck?" Ryan asked as he wheeled his chair beside Esposito, who was looking intently at the computer screen.

"Carson Devault," Esposito answered while showing his partner Devault's mug shut.

"He look good for this?"

Esposito nodded. "This guy should be behind bars. He has assault and domestic charges, as well as possession charges."

"Why isn't he in jail then?"

"Because his victims dropped the charges," Esposito answered with disappointment in his voice.

"Or, they were coerced into dropping the charges," Beckett said as she made her way back into the bull pen and over to Esposito's desk, followed closely by Castle. "Does he own any guns?"

"Not legally," Ryan answered. "But who knows - he could still be packing."

Esposito reached for the phone by his desk and dialed a number. The call lasted less then a minute before he hung up. "I've got some bad news," He said, while looking at his friends. "Carson no longer lives at the address listed in the rap sheet. He hasn't been living at the address for a while now. Completely new tenants."

"Wouldn't he be in violation of his parole?" Castle asked.

"His parole ended five months ago for the drug charges," Esposito said.

"The joys of our justice system," Beckett said, and then added, "Give his picture to vice - maybe they have been keeping unofficial tabs on him. And have officers look at local drug hotspots, homeless shelters - the works. For now, let's assume Carson has gone back to his old ways."

"You got it," Ryan said, as both he and Esposito got up from their chairs. While they were gathering their things, Beckett made her way back to her desk, catching a glimpse at Montgomery who was giving her that look - the one that said, 'solve this case, and solve it now.'

High profile cases were always the worst. Not that any murder is any less worse, but when someone is killed who has a lot of power and money - or their family has a lot of power and money - the media is relentless for answers. They become sharks who smell blood and they circle, and circle until they strike, and the cops are the first to be hit. The longer the case goes unsolved, the more allegations of incompetency occur on the NYPD's end, and the less faith the people of this city have in them doing their jobs effectively. Ultimately, this loss of faith leads to cutbacks and underfunding, which is also another blow in itself.

Beckett sighed as she fell into her chair. Right now Carson Devault was her main person of interest, and since he was MIA, there was really nothing else she could go on. The case had hit a roadblock.

She turned to look over at Castle, who looked deep in thought. "What are you thinking?"

Castle looked up at Beckett. "I know you have to interrogate him regardless, but I'm thinking he didn't do it."

This piked Beckett's interest. "And why is that?"

There was a long pause before Castle said, "Too easy."

"You know Castle, not everything has to be complicated."

"I know that too. But this guy has been through the system. He practically made himself the number one target by waiting for Cameron outside of work, which easily had witnesses. That's sloppy."

"Most killers aren't rational," Beckett reminded.

"True," Castle said. "But it just doesn't add up in my head."

"Well, we do know for a fact that Dani and Kristen were collateral damage. So they were probably not the intended victims, especially if they were supposed to be in Maui."

"Unless someone was trying to get back at Kristen by killing the person she loved...or, like you said, Cameron was the intended victim all along."

"Cameron does have a shady past," Beckett agreed. "And we know Carson and Mr. Myles are not too fond of him."

Caliver, who had been watching Beckett and Castle from his desk, said, "If you think Mr. Myles killed his own daughters for collateral damage - you shouldn't be a cop."

Beckett rolled her eyes before turning to look at Caliver. "We didn't say he killed his daughters. We said he didn't like Cameron."

"And who can blame him?" Caliver asked as he got up from his seat and made his way over to Beckett's desk. "Cameron was a sleaze. I certainly wouldn't want him dating my daughter." He paused, looking directly at Castle. "Would you want a guy like Cameron dating Alexis?"

"Cameron turned his life around, and sounded like a good guy trying to make things right," Castle answered. "In all honesty, Detective Caliver, I'd rather have Alexis date someone like him as opposed to someone like you."

"You are walking a thin line, Writer," Caliver retorted. "Anyway, Cameron was a male gold-digger. Kristen was too love struck to see any better. Chances are our suspect has ties to Cameron's illicit past."

"Thank you for your input, Detective Caliver," Beckett said almost sarcastically. "But we have to account for every possible scenario. We've been on this job too long not to."

"No offense, detective, but when you have a solve rate as good as mine back in Detroit, then you can talk to me about every possible scenario. Right now, _my_ gut is telling me we should focus on Cameron."

Beckett kept Caliver's gaze. She wasn't going to be intimidated, especially by him. "I'll do my job," She finally said after a moment of silence. "And you do yours."

Castle watched as Caliver headed toward the break room, waving them off as if they didn't hold any credibility in solving cases. He turned back to Beckett, who hardly seemed phased by the whole thing, and instead was looking through the autopsy reports again. There was something admirable about Beckett that he couldn't put into the proper words, but he could see it. He could see it every time she went to a crime scene and made sure the victims would be treated properly and receive justice. He could see it every time she interrogated a suspect. He could see it every time she said, 'I'm sorry for your loss.' But most importantly, and what made her really admirable to him, was when she closed a case, and there was a hint of a smile that graced her lips. It wasn't a long smile, more of if you blinked you would miss it, but it was still a smile that simply said, justice had been served.

Beckett looked up to see Castle staring at her and began to laugh to herself at his reaction once he noticed that she noticed he was looking at her. "Something on your mind, Castle?"

Fidgeting and grabbing some random papers on Beckett's desk, while also turning a visible shade of red, Castle responded, "No. Just doing research."

"With a take out menu and the old police fundraiser flyer?"

Castle looked down at what he had grabbed. "Oh." He put the papers down, and as he looked back at Beckett, the only thing he could think of saying was, "How about them New York Rangers?"

Beckett chuckled as she closed the autopsy report. "You know, it's not going to do us any good sitting here. Want to go for a drive? Maybe find and catch a suspect?"

"Why Beckett, I thought you would never ask." He got up from his chair and extended his arm out in a gentleman like manner, which Beckett entwined with her right arm. "Know of any good places?"

"I know one," Beckett said.

* * *

><p>"IF this is your idea of a first date, it sucks," Castle said as he looked at the old, crumbling, hotel that Beckett had pulled in front of. He had seen a lot of questionable hotel and motel places in his lifetime, he even wrote some of them in his books, but nothing he could have ever imagined could have compared to what he was actually seeing. The worst part was, it was only the outside.<p>

"It's a little rough around the edges," Beckett said, looking at what Castle was looking at. Some of the windows were boarded up with wood panels, and there was graffiti written on the bricks that were not completely decaying. The sad thing was, back in it's time, this building was very beautiful and prosperous, and had it been taken care of over the years, it would have never gotten to the state it was in.

"A little rough around the edges?" Castle choked out as if he couldn't believe Beckett had actually said that. "I feel like I need a Twinrix shot just to enter this building."

Beckett gave Castle an exaggerated look and then began to head toward the entrance of the building. She stopped once she reached the door and turned to look back at Castle, who was still standing in front of the car. "Come on, Castle. I thought you lived for this kind of stuff."

Castle was about to say something, but thought better of it and just followed Beckett reluctantly into the hotel.

"Oh my god," Castle said, quite loudly, once he saw the inside. "It's like The Shining meets Saw V."

Beckett wanted to roll her eyes at Castle's analogy, but she couldn't because he was half right. The walls were old, and stained yellow. The wallpaper was almost all gone, and what was left of it was slowly being chipped off by meth and various other drug users. The lights were low, and constantly flickering, and there was a smell that she couldn't quite describe, and had Lanie been here, she was sure her friend would say decomp smelt better than this.

She led Castle toward the front, where a lone man, wearing a wife beater, and reading a porn magazine was sitting behind bullet proof glass. Beckett knocked on the glass, and the man promptly put down his magazine and offered a smile.

"Detective Katherine Beckett. Long time no see."

Castle exchanged a confused look between the strange man and Beckett. He wanted answers on how Beckett had known him.

"Who is the handsome fellow?" The man said, looking past Beckett and right to Castle.

"That's Richard Castle. Castle, this is Emilio."

"He doesn't look like much of a cop," Emilio said looking back at Beckett.

"He isn't. He is a writer. He is shadowing me for a book series he is writing."

"That's interesting. But, sorry, pal, haven't heard of you."

Castle remembered the magazine Emilio was holding, and then said, "I had a feeling you wouldn't."

"Anyway, how can I help my favorite detective?"

Beckett pulled out a picture of Carson Devault and placed it against the glass. Emilio leaned forward to look at it. "Recognize him?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I've seen him come in here a couple of times."

"Was he with anybody?" Beckett asked.

"Maybe once with a couple of pros...Why, did he do something wrong?"

"He is a person of interest in a case I am investigating," Beckett answered. "I just have a couple of questions for him."

"Well, like I said, he comes in sometimes. Last I seen him was a couple of days ago, and he really didn't stay long if you know what I mean."

Beckett nodded her head in thanks. "I'll let you get back to work. Thanks for your help."

"Anything for you, Detective. As I always say, Mi hotel, es su hotel."

Beckett waved goodbye and this time followed Castle out of the hotel, who looked like he couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Once they were both outside, Castle turned to Beckett and said, "Who knew there would be a day when I welcome the smell of rotting garbage and pollution."

"I'd like to say you get used to that smell, but you don't," Beckett answered in regards to the hotel.

"So, how do you and Emilio know each other?" Castle asked as they both made their way to the car.

"When I first became a cop I did a stint under cover here. I saved Emilio's life...he's been grateful ever since. He won't talk to other cops, but he makes an exception for me. Busted a lot of perps because of him."

"That's...interesting."

Beckett nodded her head and pulled out her cellphone. She quickly made a call to Montgomery to have him place a uniform outside the hotel in case Carson appeared. Now, all that was left to do was wait, and be hopeful that Carson would show up.


	6. Chapter 6

** Authors note**: I apologize for the lack of updating. I have been really busy and I had a writer's block. I hope you enjoy chapter 6.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER SIX<strong>

SIX showers later, and a good nights rest, Castle found himself back at the Precinct early the next morning with two cups of coffee in his hand. He walked past Esposito and Ryan's desk, which were empty. It was still early for them to be there - for anyone to be here just yet, but as he continued to make his way over to Beckett's desk, he smiled to himself when he saw the female detective hunched over and reading a file.

He placed the cup of coffee in front of her, which caused her to look up and return a smile.

"Didn't expect to see you here just yet," Beckett said as she took the cup in her hands and took a sip. This was her favorite part of the morning.

"I thought you might be here early and could use one of these," Castle answered. He pulled up his chair and took a seat, peaking at what Beckett was reading. It was Carson Devault's police record.

"I have some good news," Beckett said while looking at Castle. "Uni's picked up Carson. He should be here within the hour to question."

"That is good news. Who knew Emilio would pay off?"

"He always comes through for me," Beckett answered. She could tell by the way Castle looked at her that he wanted more than just the simple answer she had given him yesterday on exactly how she saved Emilio's life, but a girl was allowed to have some mystery.

"You're here awfully early," Caliver said, interrupting the gazes Castle and Beckett were giving each other, as he walked past her desk.

Castle noticed how quickly Beckett had changed from being relaxed to standoffish. He only ever noticed her that way when she was talking to suspects, or looking at her mother's case. He wondered if Beckett thought Caliver was a threat.

Caliver paused and slowly turned back toward Beckett and Castle. "I hear Carson is coming in. I want point on the interrogation."

Beckett's brow furrowed, as if she couldn't believe what Caliver had just said. "Carson wouldn't be coming in at all if it wasn't for my contact. I get point on this."

"I'm more experienced in these kinds of things, Katherine. You may be a decent detective here, but back in Detroit, I was the best."

"We aren't in Detroit anymore, _Jason,_" Beckett reminded. "My collar, my point on the interrogation."

Caliver was about to say something, Castle could see it in his eyes and the way his mouth crinkled slightly, however the look Beckett was giving him had promptly shut him up. Instead he just rolled his eyes and walked over to his desk.

"Is it just me or are things awfully tense around here since he has been here," Castle said as he turned his attention back to Beckett.

"It's not just you," Beckett answered while looking intently at the case file. Castle noticed her brow was furrowed, like she was concentrating really hard. He also noticed her eyes were scanning every word, as if to not miss a single detail.

"You got this," Castle said after a moment of staring at her over analyze the file.

"I don't need to just 'get this,' Castle," Beckett suddenly said as she slammed the file close, causing Castle to jump in his seat. "I need to make sure I am not missing anything crucial to this investigation."

Castle swallowed hard, wondering if Beckett heard the agitation in her own voice. He quickly glanced over at Caliver, who was throwing a tennis ball up in the air and catching it, and then back at Beckett who didn't look at all amused.

Castle cleared his throat. "Got it," and as he reached for his still full coffee cup, he added, "Besides, I could really use a refill."

Beckett grabbed Castle's hand as he got up from the chair. She realized that she had snapped at him for no apparent reason. "I'm sorry," She began to say. "I didn't mean to vent my frustration out on you."

"I understand. Like I said, it has been awfully tense around here."

"That is still not a reason to act the way I did."

"Look, Carson isn't here yet. You still have time. Why don't you take a breather and clear your head?"

"Yeah. I might just do that. Thanks Castle. For understanding."

"No problem," Castle said with a smile on his face.

Beckett had just gotten up from her chair when the elevator doors chimed open and two uniformed police officers, with a handcuffed Carson Devault, entered the precinct.

"Where do you want him?" The officer to Carson's right asked Beckett once they were by her desk.

"Interrogation one," Beckett answered, and she watched as the two officers led Carson away. She turned to Castle, just as Caliver was making his way toward her desk. She realized that Castle was right. If she allowed Caliver to get the best of her, she would start doubting herself all the time, which was idiotic, considering she was a damn good detective.

"Let's do this," Beckett said once she saw the two officers head back into the bullpen.

* * *

><p>CARSON Devault was sitting calmly in the chair with his elbows resting on the metal table. He had the look on his face, the one most people get when they have been through the system once, or twice, or even seven times.<p>

The door to the interrogation room opened, causing Carson to advert his eyes to the three people walking into the room. He kind of smiled mockingly as he said, "Wow, three of you. I must have done something _really_ bad."

"Actually," Castle began to say. "They are the detectives. I am just observing."

"Well, isn't it your lucky day then. You get to see how screwed up the NYPD really are."

Beckett, who had taken a seat in front of Carson said, "Mr. Devault, you do know that you were only asked here for questioning."

Carson leaned back in his chair. "Yeah. That might have crossed my ears after I took a swing at one of the coppers."

"Which was a very smooth move, by the way," Caliver said, which caused Carson to turn his attention toward him. "Gave us a head start in reading your rights."

Beckett glared harshly at Caliver before turning back to Carson. "The officer you had a go at agreed to drop the charges in exchange for your full cooperation."

"Which is too good of a deal for a low-life like you," Caliver mumbled under his breath, but it was loud enough for everyone to have heard it.

"I'm glad you think so highly of me," Carson responded to Caliver sarcastically.

"Mr. Devault," Beckett said in hopes of bringing the focus back on what matters. "Are you willing to cooperate and answer the questions?"

Carson looked like he was pondering the offer, and after a moment he nodded his head.

"Do you recognize these two women?" Beckett asked as she placed the autopsy photos of Kristen and Dani Myles on the table. She watched as Carson looked them over carefully.

"She look familiar," Carson said pointing to the picture of Kristen. "But I can't remember where I seen her from."

Beckett nodded her head and took out another picture. This one was the autopsy picture of Cameron Drew. "What about him?"

Carson's eyes instantly widened. "Oh my god. That's Cameron. He's dead?"

"All three of them were murdered,"Beckett answered.

"And you think I did it?" Carson asked with a horrified look on his face.

"Yes," Caliver answered. "You have pretty hefty rap sheet. Assault can lead to murder."

"No, that's...No!" Carson suddenly stood up, pushing his chair to the ground, as Beckett turned to Caliver with an angry look on her face.

"Mr. Devault," Beckett said once she turned back to Carson who was pacing the room. "We don't know who killed them. We just need answers."

"I am not going to talk with him in the room," Carson said as he pointed to Caliver. "What happened to innocent until proven guilty."

"You would know that," Caliver said mockingly. "After all the times you have been through the system."

Beckett turned to Caliver and very angrily said, "Out. Now."

Caliver stared at Carson for a moment, laughed, and then got up from his seat and left the room.

Beckett quickly rubbed her forehead before she spoke to Carson. "I am sorry about my _partner's_ behaviour. If you can please have a seat, we can continue."

Carson nodded his head, picked up the chair he had dropped, and sat back down.

"The reason why you were called in for questioning is because on of Cameron's employees saw you two months ago, very angry, and yelling at Cameron at his place of work."

"Oh. Yeah," Carson said as if her remembered. "I remember that."

"What were you two fighting about?" Castle chimed in from the back of the interrogation room."

"What everyone fights about. Money. Look. I knew Cameron. Before he got clean, we used to run together. During that time Cameron did some crazy-ass shit. The last time we went on a drug run, I gave him money. About two hundred dollars. He was supposed to score for the both of us. He never came back that night. I thought he got busted, but no. Found out later he was in rehab. I was going to confront him, but then I got busted by the police. Once I did my time and got out, it took me awhile to track him down."

"So, that yelling was over money?"

"That and the fact that he abandoned me for nothing. I was pissed at him, sure. But, you know, he paid me back and then some. While I was going off on him, he went to his car, pulled out six hundred dollars and handed it to me like it was nothing. That is four hundred more than I gave him all those years ago. I considered ourselves even after that."

"Do you know anyone who could have had a grudge against him? Maybe someone else he owed money to?"

"Look, all I know is the Cameron I knew, and the Cameron that handed me money are two different people. He was a changed man, probably for the better. And no. The only person he owed money to was me, and he paid that back."

Beckett asked, "Where were you between 10:00pm and 12:00am three days ago?"

"Getting high with my homies," Carson answered.

"Any reliable alibi?"

"Not one that would hold up in the court of law. But hey, I did score drugs off my dealer. If you promise not to arrest him, I'm sure he can tell you I dropped by around 10."

Beckett nodded her head as she handed a piece of paper and a pen to Carson, who wrote down a name and an address, and then handed it back to her. She glanced it over once and then closed the file, while taking out one of her cards. "If you can think of anything else"-

Carson interrupted. "Call you and tell you. Also, don't skip town. I got it." He grabbed Beckett's card and made his way to the door.

Once he left, Castle turned to Beckett and said, "That was very...anti-climatic."

"What were you expecting?" Beckett asked as she gathered her things and stood up from the chair.

"For his anger to be something more than just over money."

"Need I remind you Castle, that this isn't one of your novels where the reasons are so far-fetched."

"CIA conspiracy theory is not far-fetched. Think about it."

Beckett pulled the door open and as she exited interrogation one, she said, "I have. It's far-fetched."

"Your mind is too simplistic, Kate. CIA conspiracy is real. We just don't know about it because there is also a conspiracy to hide it up." His face suddenly lit up with excitement, as if he was a kid on Christmas morning. "It's a conspiracy within a conspiracy. It's like conspireception."

Beckett just gave him one of her signature looks, and then he added, "So the word needs a little work, but it works."

"Whatever makes you sleep at night, Castle," Beckett said with a laugh as she entered the Bullpen. She noticed Ryan and Esposito at their desks, as well as Caliver leaning on hers.

"He's guilty," Caliver said once Beckett and Castle were close enough to him.

"We don't know that for sure," Beckett said.

"I do," Caliver said with cockiness in his voice. "While you were interrogating him, I found this." He handed Beckett a piece of paper and watched as she read it over. "It's a list of all the illegal guns Carson has been found with. The 9mm is consistent with the bullet hole."

"That is circumstantial, and without the bullets, we have no way of matching what gun fired the bullets," Beckett reminded.

"It's the only lead we got. Katherine - he is a career criminal with assault and drug possessions. Murder is not so far-fetched."

"We still have to check out his alibi," Beckett said as she put the file down.

"An alibi from a drug dealer...because those are oh, so, reliable."

Beckett could feel the tension rising in her, "We still have to check, _Jason._ I don't want a murderer to walk on any technicality without out exhausting all our efforts."

Caliver's voice got louder, "And I don't want a murderer to walk...which he just did...because we were cowardly to do our jobs!"

Castle exchanged a look with Ryan and Esposito who had both gotten up from their chairs to try and dissolve the situation if it got out of hand. Unfortunately, so had McKenna and Johnson.

Before Beckett could say anything, the door to Montgomery's office flew open, and Montgomery stepped out with an unpleasant look on his face.

"Caliver. Beckett. My office. Now."

* * *

><p>MONTGOMERY had just made his way to the other side of his desk when he turned to Caliver and Beckett and asked, "What the hell is going on between you two? I could hear you bickering all the way in my office."<p>

"I'm sorry, Sir," Beckett said, ashamed of her actions.

"You should be," Montgomery said while looking at her. He then looked at Caliver and said, "And so should you."

Caliver only scoffed while shaking his head. "I am not going to apologize for doing my job."

Beckett glared at Caliver. "Arresting someone without probable cause is not doing _our_ job."

"I thought you of all people would understand the need for justice," Caliver said, but the way he said it was more of a reminder to her mother's still unsolved case.

"I do want justice," Beckett said. "But I want justice for the right person, not for someone we have no clue if they are guilty or not."

"If we were in Detroit right now, he would be on his way to a fair and speedy trial," Caliver added through gritted teeth.

"Well we aren't in Detroit anymore. We do things a certain way here."

"Do you know my record, Katherine? In Detroit, I had the highest case-solved rate over any detective."

"Congratulations," Beckett said sarcastically. "Tell me, how many of those people that you locked away were actually innocent?"

"Don't be jealous of my achievements, Katherine."

"That's enough!" Montgomery shouted. "Do you hear yourselves? You are acting like children."

"Captain, I apologize for my behaviour, but as you can see Caliver and I do not work well together. I think it would be in the best interest of the department to have him unassigned as my partner."

Montgomery sighed. "Kate, Caliver is your partner from now on. You said the exact same thing about Castle when you wanted him to stop shadowing you, and now look at you two. You make a great team."

"But Castle's different," Beckett tried to explain, but Montgomery put his hand up to silence her. She glanced over at Caliver who had a smug look on his face.

"And, Jason," Montgomery said while turning to look at him. "Whatever your protocol was in Detroit, is not the same here. You follow Kate's orders. She has lead on this investigation."

Caliver's mouth dropped open. "But-" He looked at Beckett, who now had a smug smile on her face.

"No ifs, ands, or buts. I already have half the city breathing down my neck to solve this crime, and not to mention Edward Myles phoning me on the hour, every hour, for the past three days to see if we have any leads. I don't need problems from two professionals. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," They both said in unison.

"Good. Now get back to work."

* * *

><p>CALIVER opened the door to his apartment and threw his bag down on the ground. It had been a long, uneventful day, and all he really wanted was a nice, cold beer.<p>

He made his way over to the fridge that had leftover Chinese food, and a couple of beers in it, and grabbed one, taking a long swig of it. Who the hell did Captain Montgomery think he was? It was bad enough he had to take orders from a woman, but to take them from a detective that was not even as high-ranking as him (as far as solving murder cases), was infuriating to say the least.

He sat down at his computer chair just thinking about ways to get rid of Beckett. He wouldn't...he couldn't take orders from her. That thought alone was enough to make his stomach turn. He liked New York. He knew he could make a difference in the NYPD if he was only given a chance. People would respect him like they did back in Detroit. He could picture that one day, the NYPD would celebrate his name and all the crimes he solved.

But first he would have to get rid of Beckett and her stupid writer friend...but how?

He took a couple of more swigs of his beer, and turned himself around and around in his chair. When he finally stopped, he was in front of his computer. He didn't know much about Katherine, other than the fact that her mother was murdered, and she was very well respected in the NYPD.

He found himself typing 'Johanna Beckett' into the Google search engine. Her murder covered by the newspaper was the first result, followed by an article on her written by the University she used to teach at. He clicked on that link and read as much as he could on her. Turns out, Johanna was very well respected among colleagues, and that she had made a career in defending others. It was a shame to him that she spent her time fighting for the wrong people. Normally, he wouldn't waste his time defending scum bags, but someone had to do it.

His eyes wandered over to the picture the University had of her. He had to admit that Katherine was a spinning image of her mother.

He was about to close the web page when an idea struck him. It was simple, and yet genius at the same time, and one way to drive Katherine crazy enough to make Montgomery realize she shouldn't be lead detective, and then she would be taking orders from him instead of the other way around. He quickly saved the picture of Johanna and opened up Craigslist. He made a fake account, assuring that he had all his bases covered, so that he wouldn't get caught, and since he was piggy backing off one of the idiots who didn't protect their wi-fi, he wasn't too worried.

He started a new 'Looking for' ad and attached Johanna's picture. In it he wrote:

"_Looking for a woman who closely resembles the woman in the attached photo. I am playing a prank on a close friend to get back at her for pulling a similar prank on me. Please attach your photos. Will compensate handsomely._"

Caliver leaned back in his chair as he posted his ad. He hoped that this would work.


End file.
